Julia Brownley (D-CA), representative of California’s 26th Congressional District, introduced ‘Katie Meyer’s Law’ in the House of Representatives last Tuesday. Named for Katie Meyer ’22, a Stanford student and soccer player who died by suicide in March 2022, the bill requires universities to allow students facing disciplinary action to have an advisor of their choosing. 

The advisor, either selected by the student or provided by the university, must be trained by the university about the resources available to the student. The advisor is also able to participate in the disciplinary process and, with the students’ permission, is given bi-weekly updates regarding disciplinary proceedings.

Brownley’s proposed federal legislation also aims to increase transparency by requiring that colleges and universities receiving federal funding disclose incidents of death by suicide in their Annual Security Report (ASR).

“We truly believe that had this been an option for Katie, maybe she’d be alive today,” said Gina Meyer, Katie’s mother. 

In a wrongful death lawsuit against Stanford, Steve and Gina Meyer alleged that a formal charge letter from the Office of Community Standards, delivered to their daughter after hours the night before her death, “caused or substantially contributed” to her passing.

Sent around 7 p.m., the letter informed Meyer that her diploma was being placed on hold and threatened her position as an RA, her membership on the Stanford soccer team, her admission to Stanford Law School and more. 

This likely caused an “acute stress reaction,” causing her to act impulsively despite having no prior history of suicidal urges, according to the lawsuit.

Following their daughter’s death, Steve and Gina Meyer founded ‘Katie’s Save’, a non-profit dedicated to “[saving] lives through systemic changes at colleges and universities to promote mental health, protect students and prevent suicide.” 

As a result of the Meyers’ advocacy, California Assembly member Jacqui Irwin, who represents the 42nd Assembly District, in which the Meyers live, authorized ‘Katie Meyer’s Law’, also known as Assembly Bill (AB) 1575, in the California State Legislature. The law states that students at California public colleges and universities are allowed to select an adviser to help them navigate disciplinary processes. It was passed unanimously through the California State Legislature before being signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 28, 2024.  

Though AB 1575 applies automatically to all public universities, Stanford, a private institution, is not necessarily required to uphold the state law. Stanford has maintained that it supports its students and their mental health, but has disagreed with the “assertion that the university is responsible for [Katie Meyer’s] death”. 

The Daily has reached out to the University for comment.

Brownley, who represents the congressional district in which the Meyers live, wrote in a press release that her bill “…seeks to put student well-being and mental health front and center.”

This sentiment is echoed by the Meyers, who hope this legislation will both save lives and help the mental health and well-being of the students. “This way, they will have someone by their side that they trust to help them find their way through [disciplinary proceedings],” said Steve Meyer, Katie’s father.

Though Gina Meyer acknowledges that college students are independent and intelligent, the goal of the bill is to bring someone in to support and guide students who are still young and have limited life experience. “That’s the key to this … not going through it alone,” said Meyer. 

For Steve and Gina Meyer, Katie’s legacy lives on both in ‘Katie Meyer’s Law’ and mental health advocacy. “The spirit of the law is similar to the spirit of Katie. It’s inclusive, it’s protective. It’s loving. And we feel it’s the least we can do to try and honor her life and try to prevent something similar from happening to another young person,” Steve Meyer said.